Weather vane



March 18, 1930. 1,751,433

' WEATHER VANE ,Filed March 8, 1928 INVZW'TO'R cLmes J1 fiver wheePatented Mar. 18, 1930 UNITED STATES JAMES M. POWER WALLACE, OFNORRISTOWIQY;PENNSYLVANIA WEATHER VANE Application filed March 8,

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in a weather vaneand has for its primary object to provide an exceedingly simple andeffective device of this character which will be exceedingly sensitiveto the light and changing wind currents and one that will be light inweight though strong,

and durable.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for mounting thevane element upon ball bearings carried by the staff.

A further object of my invention is to so construct the post of the vaneelement as to protect the ball bearings from rain, sleet,

snow and the like.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a post of uniqueconstruction so that vane elements of different configurations may bereadily connected therewith.

With these ends in view, this invention consists in the details ofconstruction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and thenspecifically designated by the claims.

In order that those skilled in the art to I which this inventionappertains may understand how to make and use the same, I will describeits construction in detail, referring by numerals to the accompanyingdrawings forming a part of this application, in which: Fig. 1, is a sideelevation of a weather vane constructed in accordance with my invention.Fig. 2, is an enlarged side elevation of the post and a portion of thestaff, a part of said post and the ball bearings being shown in section. 7

Fig. 3, is a side elevation, partly in section, of a modified form ofpost.

Fig. 4, is an end view thereof. In carrying out my invention as hereinem- 7 bodied, 5 represents a staff preferably formed from a metal rodand having slidably and rotatably mounted thereon a base 6 by which thedevice is secured to a support such as a roof of a building and afterthe parts are properly adjusted they are held together by a set screw 7passing'through a boss 8 on the base and impinging on the staff.

The upper end of the staff 5 is provided with a reduced tip 9 producinga shoulder 10 on which rests the inner race of an ordinary 19'2"8.seriai'noi 259,975. g I

barbs-tirin '11 and which is held in place by upsetting or forming aheadlQ on the staff tip. 4

On thestaif suitable distance below the ball bearing'll is mounted asecond and pr'eferably' largerball bearing 13 which is held inpositionby a set screw 14 passing through an 7 extension of the innerrace member.

1 Over the ball bearings is 'place'd a post 15 having an enlargement 16at its lower end, said post being provided with a bore 17 running fromits inner or lower end to a point approximately equal tothe'di'stan'ce'between the web-e11 bearings providing a. shoulder 18 engaging the-outerr'ace' member of the b all be ar- 1 ing 11. while the lower end of thepost is counterbored'toprovide a shoulder 19to rest 'pon the outerr'a'ce' member of the ball 'b'earing 13.

, The post '15 carries a vaneelement20. By 'statin'g'that thevaneelement is carried by the post, Irn'eanth-at it may be formed integral't-herewi'tli or attached thereto in any suitable manner, although Iprefert'o' form the post'with a slot '21 at its upper end into which maybeinserted a lug'or'any other part ofthe vane element,-' and "said vaneelement then fastened in "place-by rivets 22 or their equivalent. p V IThe vane element may be of "any desirable configuration. i I

"InFigs, 3 and'4 Ilrave shown a slight modification of the post and havetherefore desig nated' the same 'as""15 and said modification includes abody 23'constructed the same as the lower'porti'on' of the post 15, buton the upper end of'the; body is formed a cross bar 24 -havii1g alongitudinal slot 25 to receive the vane element and said slot at theends may run acrossjt'he'complete diameter of the crossbar as indicated'26. This form of post is'particularly adapted for'use'withi 'certain.kinds of vane elementswh'ereiit is necessary tohave additional strengthor bearing surface.

On thestafl' 5 below but preferably adja cent the lower ball bearing ismounted a collar 27 held in place by a suitable fastening device 28 suchas a rivet and this collar is provided with four holes, one of which isshown and designated by the numeral 29, the said holes being at rightangles to each other for the reception of the direction arms 30. It ispreferable that only two of these 5 arms be used, one to represent thehead of an arrow, and the other the tail thereof, but where a persondesires that the four main points of the compass be shown, two otherarms may be placed in the remaining holes of the collar.

From the foregoing description it will be obvious that the posts may bemanufactured as standard equipment and assembled with vane elements ofvarious configurations and I when mounted in place, the ball bearingswill be substantially housed to prevent the dust, rain, sleet or snowfrom coming in contact therewith, and therefore, the device will alwaysbe in operative condition.

Of course I do not wish to be limited to the exact details ofconstruction as herein shown, as these may be varied within the limitsof the appended claims without departing from the spirit of myinvention.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim as new and useful is:

1. In a weather vane,the combination of a staff for mounting upon asuitable support, the upper end of said staff having a reduced so tipforming a shoulder, a ball bearing mounted on the extremity of the tip,a second ball bearing mounted on the stafi' below the first mentionedone and in spaced relation thereto, means to hold the second named ballbear- :zs ing in place, a post having an enlarged lower end, the lowerportion of said post being hollow, shoulders within the hollow portionof the post and spaced a distance equal to the space between the ballbearings and adapted w to engage the movable race members of the ballbearings and substantially enclose said ball bearings when the post isplaced over the upper end of the staif, said post having its upper endlongitudinally slotted, and a Vane element mounted within said slot andfixed to the post.

2. In a weather vane, a staff, a ball hearing having a fixed position atthe extreme upper end of the staff, another ball bearing mounted on thestaff below the first ball bearing, means to hold said second-named ballbearing in diiferent adjusted positions, a post having a hollow portionwithin which there are two shoulders in spaced relation for ooactionwith the aforementioned ball bearings, and a vane element carried bysaid post. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto affixed my signature.

JAMES M. POWER WALLACE.

